


One-Sided Rival

by Discreet



Category: Worm - Wildbow
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:11:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5776339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Discreet/pseuds/Discreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>COMPLETED Post-canon: Sophia stakes her claim on a small settlement and the woods surrounding it, but being a warlord isn't as easy as Taylor made it seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dashing between treetops, the only sound of her presence the flap of her cape, Sophia knew she was a fucking badass.

At night, dressed in black leather padding, she'd be nothing more than a dark shape in the night. In her shadow form, she'd be completely invisible. No streetlights to illuminate her and there were still so few who could afford a flashlight. Even better, no fucking electricity. At night, Sophia was untouchable and she knew it. Owning the night like this, well, it almost made up for the end of the world.

Sure, life was tougher all-around, there weren't the little things. Like clean beds or hot showers. Sophia picked at a twig in her hair and tried to not think of lice. And there wasn't a lot of options for food - roasted deer got old quick. But here in the night? The settlement and the woods surrounding it? It was _hers_.

Parahumans in every dimension were staking their claims, so why shouldn't Sophia?

She didn't ask for much. Didn't ask for anything at all, just some food and water from the locals. Otherwise the settlement was free to handle themselves, to fight or fuck or whatever. The people took care of themselves well enough, enough of them had the know-how for farming and the survival instinct not to question the scary shadow cape when she demanded tribute. Some people made a noise about payment, but Sophia set them straight quick. Best to make an example, get the message across. The smart ones though, they understood quick. So long as Sophia was here, this was claimed territory and not just any parahuman could wander in and raise hell. Not if Sophia had anything to say about it.

Yeah. Sophia was a badass. A warlord. A predator. And this place was hers.

The creak of a wagon caught Sophia's attention and she drew her crossbow. A wagon usually meant more refugees, harmless normals. Although, Sophia thought with a smile, first impressions were important.

She leapt from branch to branch, phasing into her shadow form to make each jump a light-step and soon enough she spotted the wagon making its way down the rut that was the settlement's only road. Pulled by a single exhausted horse, the wagon was driven by a portly man who looked just about ready to collapse himself.

Easy targets. And although Sophia couldn't make out who was in the battered wagon itself, it reeked of desperation. Just some prey, Sophia thought as she took aim.

The thunk of a crossbow bolt in the seat beside the driver was heard more than it was seen and the driver nearly fell off the wagon as he jumped. As he turned to look at the bolt, Sophia glided lightly on top of it and shifted back to her human form, her crossbow cocked and aimed casually with one hand at the man's chest. The man's eyes were like saucers and they whipped back and forth from the crossbow to Sophia's expressionless mask. Other than his eyes, he was frozen and deathly quiet, as if that could hide him from Sophia's gaze.

Sophia gestured with the crossbow. "Get off the wagon."

Tightly, the man nodded and hopped down and Sophia tracked him, her finger ready on the trigger. "Who else is inside?"

A squeak came from inside the wagon and sweat popped along the man's forehead, "M-my family. Wife and daughter."

Sophia inched back, keeping herself ontop of the wagon, and shifted her aim towards the opening. "Alright, ladies. Out the wagon."

The wife and daughter climbed out, clutching one another and not daring to look at Sophia as they scurried to the side with the father.

Sophia watched the family carefully as they huddled together, shivering in the night air. Unarmed as far as she could see. Her crossbow still trained on them, Sophia chanced a peek inside the wagon and saw only heaps of clothes and the occasional box of rations. Military-grade, so they had probably come from one of the bigger settlements. "What are you doing out here?" Sophia asked, turning back to the family.

The man stood a little forward, hiding his deathly pale wife and his daughter who looked entirely too old to be standing behind her mother who was shorter than her. "We're refugees. Just looking to get to the next settlement." And as if he wanted to sound as stupid as possible, he added, "We don't want no trouble."

Sophia snorted. "That's good to hear." She stuck a thumb at the contents of the wagon, "Anything you got in there besides food and clothes?"

The woman seemed to go a shade paler and the daughter buried her head in her mother's shoulders. The man shook his head. "No, we're just trying to get-"

"Shut up." Sophia spoke quietly, but the man obeyed instantly. "I'm gonna go through your shit. Move or make a sound and I put a bolt between your eyes."

The man nodded and the daughter squeaked again. Good enough, Sophia thought and ducked into the wagon.

There really was way too much clothing back here, had they really stuffed their suitcases full of this shit when the world was ending? Sophia shook her head and cracked open a case and found nothing but dry rations. Outside, Sophia could hear the daughter still whimpering and she chuckled softly, it didn't matter how much the girl cried, no one would be coming to the rescue, these woods were Sophia's and no one else's.

Sophia found another case beneath a pile of clothing and opened it. A grin began to form as she saw what was inside.

Jewelery. Gold and silver and shiny gemstones. In other words, the basis of a barter economy. With this she could head to a bigger town, get some more bolts for her crossbow or maybe even get some stray tinkertech or...

A word caught Sophia's eye and she forgot the box. On a faded grey t-shirt, in big blocky yellow letters was a very familiar word.

Winslow.

When Sophia stepped out of the wagon, she had holstered her crossbow. Sophia looked at the family and saw they had obediently not moved an inch. Even the girl - Sophia's age now that she thought about it - hadn't lifted her head once. "Hey. Hey!" The man and his wife flinched as Sophia called out, but the girl just continued to shrink behind her mother. "Fucking look at me!"

The daughter's trembling stopped and slowly she raised her head.

"What the fuck, Madison." Sophia sighed, "You seriously don't know it's me?"

"Yes, no, I mean," Madison's voice was quiet and raspy. Nervously she spoke louder, "I knew it was you."

Madison's father cleared his throat, "Please-"

"Shut up." Sophia said flatly, her attention entirely on Madison. "So why didn't you say anything? I could've fucking killed you, you idiot."

Madison swallowed, clearly imagining it. "I-I don't want anything to do with that stuff."

"What?"

"C-cape stuff."

This crybaby shit was starting to piss Sophia off. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"C-Capes! People like you!" Madison flinched as she saw Sophia tense, but knew she had to explain, "You're dangerous, Sophia. You… you were just prepared to kill us. All the capes have been like that. Even after the end of the world, they're all fighting, trying to be warlords. Trying to be like Tay- "

"TRYING TO BE LIKE ME!" Sophia shouted, suddenly very hot under her mask.

"Like you!" Madison squeaked, "Trying to be like you, I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!"

Sophia leapt off the wagon. She could feel her blood rising even as Madison shrank, "I made Taylor, understand? The only reason she did anything was because of _me_!"

"I understand! I'm sorry, it was you!"

"Please leave her-"

Sophia smashed the man's face in with the end of her crossbow and he crashed to the ground, blood streaming from his nose. Madison's mom started screaming, but Sophia ignored them.

Sophia was in Madison's face, gripping the girl's shoulders so she couldn't pull away. "I'm the start of it all, not her! She fucking copied me and got _lucky_! She learned everything from me! I'M THE PREDAUUUGH!"

The shift to her shadow form was instinctual, but it was too late. The pain in her back, a jolt that seemed to echo through her and Sophia knew she had been stabbed - Madison's dad had finally gotten the guts to stab a girl in the back, the fucking prick. Sophia swayed in shadow form, Madison's family stirring past her in a flurry of movement. She was dizzy in her shadow form, it was hard to control and so much more exhausting than it should be. She drifted, unable to push against even the slightest breeze and she felt herself sliding away. Vaguely she could make out the wagon rumbling forward, the horse crying out in as much panic as its passengers, but it was hard to bring herself to care.

Unable to stop herself, Sophia drifted deeper into the woods.

She couldn't bleed out like this, could she?

Sophia shifted back and immediately dropped to her knees, a loud splat following her as too much blood materialized around her.

Fuck.

Slowly, she reached behind herself with a hand and felt where the knife was sticking out of her. Low, in the small of her back and the asshole had tugged it the wrong way, too so now the wound was much bigger than just the knife. She brought her hand to her face just to make sure it really was blood.

It was. Of course, it was. What else could it be?

Fuck, Sophia thought to herself again, she was going to die. Alone in the middle of nowhere. No one would know, not even to bury her body. Sophia gasped with a laugh, blood sputtering from her lips. Her corpse would be eaten, by vultures or foxes or whatever.

By maggots.

"Fuuuck!" Sophia screamed and she threw herself forward, bruising her cheek against the ground. She put an arm forward and pulled. "Not like this." She grunted through grit teeth, "Not going to die. Not like this."

Her arm pulled and she felt every root and rock as she dragged herself forward. Her mask was off - when had that happened? - and she could smell the dampness of the dirt. She threw her arm forward and pulled again. If she could get to the settlement. If they had a doctor. If they got to her in time. If she was even heading in the right direction.

"Not. Gonna. Die." Sophia grunted with each inch. She just had to keep moving. Just keep moving.

She focused on the pain. Couldn't rest, couldn't stop. Had to keep moving. Everything hurt, her face and chest from the dragging, her arm from the constant pulling, but most especially the small of her back where Sophia could feel death creeping. Just a little more, she lied to herself, just a little more. She looked back to see how far she had gone and immediately regretted it.

Five feet. Maybe six. And a wide streak of blood.

She roared and threw her arm forward again, grasping at the dirt, but the strength to pull never came. Her fingers dug a little deeper into the dirt, but her arm wouldn't bend, the muscles wouldn't work. Sophia screamed, willing her body to move.

Soon enough, even screaming was too much, her head dropped into the dirt.

Not like this.

With a whimper, Sophia closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sophia stepped in sharply, snagging Hebert's foot mid-step and the gangly girl flopped like she was in a cartoon. Her glasses popped off as she crashed to the ground, but the Hebert girl didn't seem to notice, she was too busy wheezing. The fall must've knocked the wind out of her and she was having difficulty getting it back._

_Sophia smirked._

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia woke to chirping. Squeaky, happy bird chirping straight out of a Disney movie.

Groaning, she opened her eyes and made out the blurry blue shape framed in white. Definitely a bird on the windowsill and _tweeting_ with a passion. Sophia reached for her crossbow, but a sudden pain shot up her arm and stopped her. Blearily she looked down and saw that she was hooked into an IV drip and she had nearly ripped the needle out.

Hospital, Sophia dimly thought. She looked around and revised that thought, Shitty hospital. She was on the ground floor, literally as there was nothing but dirt beneath her. The room was tiny as well, her bed reached from wall to wall and between her bed and the doorway - which had no actual door - was just a small cabinet.

The bird squeaked again and hopped from the windowsill to the foot of Sophia's bed.

Sophia glared at it, exhaustion keeping her from kicking at it. "You'd make good target practice." Sophia tried to say, but only wheezed. Her throat was painfully dry and she immediately started coughing. One cough turned to two and her throat began to flame. It didn't take long before she was full on hacking, her whole body seizing with the coughs.

"Jesus, could you be any louder?"

Sophia couldn't spare the sarcastic voice a glance, she only barely managed to say "Water" in between coughs. There was an exaggerated sigh, but Sophia could hear the voice's owner leaving. A girl's voice, immature with a mocking tone and familiar in a way that Sophia didn't like. Sophia wished again she had her crossbow.

A glass appeared before her. "Drink up."

Sophia grabbed at the glass and drank deeply.

"I was _really_ tempted to put some weird shit in your drink, y'know."

Sophia finished the glass and finally looked up at the girl.

"But I figured that'd be too fucked up." The girl, her face covered by a horned mask, gave an exaggerated shrug. "Didn't want to pick on the almost dead girl, y'know."

Imp. Sophia scowled, of all the people who survived Golden Morning, the annoying brat had managed it. Their last encounter had been courteous compared to most cape encounters, but _everything_ about Imp irritated Sophia. From her gleeful cackles, down to their tenuously shared history.

"Did the bloodloss make you dumb or something? Aren't you going to say anything? Or y'know, thank me?"

No crossbow and her mask and costume were gone, too. Not that everyone didn't already know who Shadow Stalker was, but it still bothered her. In the meantime, she only had her underwear and one of those wispy gowns patients usually got. Someone had undressed her, Sophia thought with a grimace. She looked at Imp and her mood only soured. "Were you really waiting around just for me to wake up?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Shady. I help out here. I'm one of the few people in town that knows first aid."

Sophia smirked, "Didn't figure you for a nurse."

Anger crept in Imp's voice. "Yeah? Well, I'm the nurse that saved your ungrateful dying ass."

If Sophia hadn't been so tired, she would've stood up and walked out. Instead she growled, "This the part when you tell me what I owe you?"

"Holy shit," Imp threw her hands up, "That's your response? I go through the trouble of bandaging your wounds, carrying your fatass to town and using my _very limited_ supply of bloodbags to save your life and you've got the nerve to be uppity? You are so bad at gratitude. Seriously, the absolute worst."

"Don't fuck around with me." Sophia's eyes narrowed, "You didn't save me out of kindness. You had a reason."

"Um. Yeah, I had a reason. The reason is that I'm not a total psycho bitch and when I saw someone I kind of knew bleeding to death and crying like a baby, surprise, surprise, I saved her. Is it really that hard to imagine? Are you that much of a psycho?"

Sophia frowned, the words sounded true, but none of it made sense. Not with what Sophia knew about Imp. The young villain had a sadistic streak a mile long. She liked getting her revenge and when she did, powers or no, you remembered how bad it hurt. And given their history, Imp should have hated Sophia.

Quietly, Sophia reached behind herself and gently touched her wound, feeling the bandages and the tingling of raw flesh. Imp wasn't lying, Sophia could tell that much.

Grudgingly, Sophia nodded. "Fine. Thanks. We good?"

"Are you still a massive bitch?"

"Fuck you." Sophia responded automatically.

Imp shrugged, "Well, then I guess that's as good as we're ever gonna get."

"Fine with me."

They glared at each other in silence for a few moments before Imp shook her head, "Well, this was loads of fun, but can't keep goofing off, y'know? Work to do, lives to save, people to terrorize, et cetera, et cetera." Imp glanced at the IV drip, "You should technically stay in bed for at least a couple of days, but you're kind of a bitch, so I'll give you till tonight."

"Thanks." Sophia said with all the sarcasm she could muster.

"For saving your life? Yeah, I know. I'm a saint." Imp turned for the door, "Later, Shady."

As soon as Imp stepped out the room, Sophia fell back on her bed and let out a deep breath. Just talking had been exhausting. Granted there had been a lot of posturing as well, but Sophia should've been able to do that in her sleep. She was barely functioning and probably wouldn't be a hundred percent for days to come, but Sophia couldn't ask to stay a few more nights.

She already owed Imp too much.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_"This is how it is, Hebert." Sophia put her foot between the girl's shoulder blades and stepped down. Hebert grunted and only caught herself in time to keep her head from banging against the floor. Sophia didn't push any further, but she kept her foot there all the same. A reminder._

_"It's like a… ah, what's the word?"_

_"Metaphor." Madison supplied._

_"Yeah, that's the one." Sophia pressed down a little harder and Hebert groaned in response, "Although in this case, it's also literal."_

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia woke again to the shrill singing of birds and tried to drown it out by burying her head deeper into the pillow. It was only when the singing got louder that Sophia realized her mistake.

Not singing.

Screaming. Lots of screaming.

Her eyes snapped open and she promptly rolled out of bed with a resounding crash, dragging the IV drip down with her. Falling hurt, but the bed was by the window and just laying there was begging to get killed. She just hoped that no one had heard the commotion.

Still weak, Sophia cursed herself as she struggled to even sit up. Her legs refused to cooperate, slipping everytime she tried to get them underneath her. How long was her body going to be fighting her? Sophia nearly punched her legs, but instead she grabbed onto the bedframe and hauled herself up into a sitting position so she could peer out the window. Flecks of ash and soot floated into the room against a background of red and yellow. Fire, lots of it, but not at the hospital yet. Not an immediate problem, but judging from the screaming, the fire was the least of her worries.

Sophia leveraged herself back onto the bed chest-first, her legs hanging off. If she could just get on her feet… but every time Sophia thought she had gotten her soles down on the ground, her feet would crumble and she'd be on her knees again. Fuck, what was wrong with her.

There was no time to figure it out, the screams were getting closer. With a frustated grunt, Sophia ripped off the IV drip from her arm and pushed off the bed. She caught herself with her hands and began crawling on her chest for the door.

Bandages, empty bottles and other medical crap was strewn about the hallway, but no one seemed to actually be around. The doctors and other patients must have evacuated. Without Sophia, of course. Not that she had expected any different, but it still pissed her off.

Sophia made her way down the hallway, mindful of anything like a stray syringe and found herself in a wider room that must have been the lobby.

"We're in the infirmary."

Sophia ducked back, hugging as close to the wall as possible. There were two figures standing in the lobby, a man and a woman, both dressed in white slacks and shirt. Aside from the stray bits of dirt and flecks of blood, they were impeccably clean. They also had guns. Tinker-made laser guns.

Teacher. His students were unmistakable. The dead look in their eyes, the machine-like efficiency of their movements, they'd be creepy even without their tendency to kill people.

The woman had her hand to her ear, nodding obediently even though no one but her partner (and Sophia) could see.

"Understood." The woman lifted her finger from her ear and turned to her companion. "We clear the place room by room and then we torch it."

The man nodded and they readied their weapons before starting to make their way to Sophia.

Sophia quietly muttered a dozen versions of "fuck" before crawling back towards the closest patient's room. The crossbow would be really handy right about now, shoot one and then grapple the other, rip out their throat with her teeth maybe. Still those laser guns would hurt if they hit, shadow or not. Sophia grabbed hold of the bed and pulled herself up in sitting position.

Legs were still shit. Sophia switched to her shadow form and nearly screamed in rage when her gaseous body refused to move as well. _What was wrong with her?_

Sophia's rage was interrupted by the crunch of footsteps. No more time to waste. Sophia had to do something. She tensed her grip on the bedframe and with a grunt of effort, she pulled _hard_ , shifting into shadow form in the same instant. Sophia literally threw herself through the window as light as air.

Her gaseous body soared twenty feet through the fiery remains of the town before it settled. Again, Sophia urged her body forward, away from the make-shift hospital, but a nearby blaze pushed at her body and she drifted back. Somehow her body was even _worse_ like this. Grudgingly, she shifted back, yelping as she collapsed to the ground.

The town wasn't _entirely_ in flames, but when you made everything out of wood, it didn't take much for a fire to spread. Burning buildings in every direction and just Sophia's luck that the hospital was at the center of town. There was less screaming now, but that just meant most of the people who had been screaming were dead by now. Thankfully, she hadn't seen anyone yet, only the occassional dead body with chunks missing where the lasers had hit, but otherwise the streets were empty.

Crawling wasn't going to do it, Teacher's students were hunting people down, being thorough about it, too. Sophia had lucked out that the pair to clear the hospital hadn't had any Thinker powers to sniff her out, but Sophia didn't plan on sticking around to test her luck. She needed to move more than she needed to hide. Throwing herself in shadow form had worked out pretty well already, now she needed to do it flat on the ground.

Sophia dug her fingers into the ground, prying at the dry crust at the top to get a grip on the softer dirt below. Firmly attached, she tensed her arms again and with a huge heave, she shifted and slid along the ground like the shadow of a shark underwater.

Moving like this was more effective than Sophia could've possibly hoped for. She zipped through the town, a vague dark blob, dashing from corner to corner, her body tightening against the pressure of the wind and every cell in her body oxygenating from just moving. It almost felt normal, like the days before Golden Morning, before juvie, even before the Wards. When Sophia had owned the streets and rooftops of Brockton Bay.

Nostalgia faded as Sophia came to the edge of the small log town. She kept herself behind the ruined husk of a building and peered out.

"Shit."

Nothing could ever be easy, could it. Jeeps fitted with tinker-made weapons and modifications formed a perimeter around the town. There were gaps, a jeep for every two hundred or so feet, but Teacher wasn't stupid. Aside from the heavy laser weaponry, there were arrays of sensors and other bullshit that'd make sneaking past even in shadow form hard.

A sudden burst of laser fire lit the sky as three gunners swiveled in unison to fire at something four houses over and the screams started anew. Idiots who got too itchy on the last stretch. They should've waited for a moment the gunners were distracted - Sophia grimaced, realizing that she had just missed her chance.

She got her hands around a blackened wood beam and braced herself. She just had to hope that another bunch was stupid enough to make a run for it, this time she'd be ready for it.

"Holy shit, Shady -"

Sophia flinched, nearly launching herself face-first into laser death.

"- you're still alive?"

Imp. Sophia exhaled. Irritating, but probably not going to kill her.

"You look like shit. And speaking of, your ass is kinda hanging out."

Sophia grabbed at the flap of her gown and yanked it into place. "Can we _not_ do this right now?"

"Gotta think of the kids." Imp laughed, but even Sophia could tell it was forced. And true enough there was a line of children behind Imp. Six in total, pretty faces with cold eyes and none of them older than ten.

"The Heartbroken." Sophia said flatly. Just great. As if fighting off Teacher's students wasn't enough, now she had to worry about a bunch of sociopathic Master brats.

Sophia blinked and then quickly looked back Imp. "So what's the plan? What powers do the kids have?"

"You're stupid." One of the children, a pale girl with straight blonde hair, called out.

Imp nodded, "Yeah, she is."

Sophia grit her teeth, "Stop wasting my time. We need to get out of here."

"Then let's not waste time explaining everybody's powers. _I_ know everybody's powers." Sophia held her retort as Imp put a hand on her shoulder. "And I've got a plan, alright? Now I know this is asking a lot considering you're a psycho, but I'm going to need you to trust me."

Trust her. "You're going to use me as bait." Sophia hissed.

"No. What is wrong with you? As much as I should want you dead, I don't." Several of the kids were rolling their eyes, "Just… shut up and listen, okay?"

Sophia glared, but didn't say anything.

"We're gonna create a distraction for you and you're gonna do your creepy shadow thing, get to that jeep and hit the antenna." Imp pointed at one of the bulkier jeeps, "That'll let us get closer and the kids can actually start hurting them. It'd also be a real big help if you could kill all the dudes in that jeep, especially the one on the gun. And try not to get stabbed again. Sound good, Shady?"

"Sounds like I'm diving into a deathtrap." Sophia remarked dryly, "Alone. Like bait."

"I mentioned the distraction, right?" Imp stuck her thumb at the kids, "They're good at distraction, believe me."

"I don't even have a weapon."

The girl with the straight blonde hair held out a knife, "Here."

Where had she even pulled it out? Sophia shook the question off, and took the knife. Big, military-made with serrated edges. "I haven't agreed to anything yet."

The girl cried out, "Hey! You took my knife!"

"And I still don't trust you." Sophia looked at Imp. "Back in Cauldron's base, you said you were going to get your revenge on me. Because I fucked with your brother or your boyfriend or whatever bullshit." Imp flinched. "Yeah, you thought I forgot, huh?"

"Listen that was -"

"I'll do it. I'll take out the jeep."

Imp shook her head, "What?"

"It's the only plan we got, so I'll do it." Sophia leveled a hard gaze on Imp, "But after this, I don't owe you anything, got it?"

Even with the mask, Sophia knew Imp was smirking, "Sure you don't, Shady."

Sophia grunted, ignoring the fact that Imp had seemed too pleased with herself. Sophia started crawling forward and Imp turned to address the kids.

Quietly, Sophia let out a breath, Imp hadn't noticed just how bad Sophia was doing. Adrenaline had been the only thing keeping her going since she had woken up and she could start to feel an ache in her heart as if the organ was protesting its treatment. Couldn't afford to stop though, not now, not when they were so close. The plan hinged on Sophia.

Sophia crawled to the stump of a wall closest to the jeep, low enough for her to grab onto and sturdy enough for her to get leverage. She peered over the top to see her target. A hundred feet out, the jeep sat with its headlights pointed towards Sophia and the gunner on top stood so still he seemed almost part of the equipment.

A hundred feet. There was no way Sophia would get a second chance to launch herself, she needed to hit her target in one go, which meant that she needed to arc her trajectory to get that far. But the bigger the arc, the longer she'd be in the air and the more time the gunners would have to be shooting at her. A balancing act, too low and she wouldn't get far enough, too high and she'd hang too long in the air and get vaporized. If she was brainier she would've done some calculations, instead Sophia trusted her gut as she adjusted her aim.

"Something wrong with your legs?"

Sophia looked over her shoulder and saw Imp crouched just behind her.

"Don't worry about it." Sophia grunted, "Your kids ready?"

"Yeah, we got your back. You good?"

"Yeah. Let's do this already."

"You sure? You don't wanna maybe get up first? You've been doing the tactical crawling a lot, but don't you want to get in a runner's pose or something?"

"I said, I'm _good_. Now can we get started?"

They locked eyes and Sophia hoped Imp wouldn't press it.

Imp sighed, "Guess I'm gonna be trusting you too, Shady." She turned to the Heartbroken, "You rugrats ready?"

The kids sounded off, entirely too calm for this sort of life-or-death situation. Well, it'd be Sophia's life first, so the little freaks would get to enjoy that before they got offed. She placed the knife between her teeth and grabbed hold of the wall.

"Alright. On my mark." Imp looked one more time at Sophia and Sophia nodded. "Three. Two. One. GO!"

Sophia launched herself like a rocket, her arms contracting like springs and her chest pushing forward. She felt her shadow form narrow like an arrowhead as the wind roared in her ears.

No laser fire yet. The gunner in the jeep was actually drooling a bit. Whatever the Heartbroken were doing was working. The driver on the other hand seemed perfectly aware of the shadow heading straight for them like a bullet and he was shouting, trying to get the gunner's attention.

Sophia was there before he could shake his partner awake. At fifty miles an hour she shifted back into her human form, wincing as she felt the sudden pressure of air resistance. Wind buffeted her from all sides, but she pulled the knife from her mouth just in time and swung for the antenna, snapping it instantly. Her speed only dampened a little, Sophia collided into the dazed gunner's chest with her shoulder.

There was a loud crack, either the man's collarbone or Sophia's arm popping out of the socket. Not pausing to figure out which, Sophia latched onto the man's shoulders (not her arm, then) and started stabbing him repeatedly in the neck. Blood spurted out, spraying Sophia in the face, some even getting in her eyes and she slipped off, falling directly into the lap of the driver.

The driver's face twisted in rage even as his eyes remained dull. Sophia made to slash at his throat, but he caught her knife hand in his own and smashed it against the dashboard. Once. Twice. And before the third time, Sophia shifted into her shadow form, slipping from his grip. She tried to move, position herself behind him or twist herself into a grapple, but her shadow body merely floated.

Sophia wanted to scream. There had been a small hope that maybe she just needed to throw herself into danger, get her blood pumping in a way only killing someone could and everything would be back to normal. Maybe somehow her body would work again with the flood of adrenaline and the scream of bloodshed.

But there was nothing.

The driver reached for the laser gun at his side and although Sophia hated the idea of close combat with a man twice her weight, she couldn't let him draw that gun. Sophia shifted back, completely tangled with the driver, one leg under his armpit, the other over his shoulder and her head and arms pressed against the car door. It would've been funny if the man hadn't started trying to punch Sophia's head in.

Sophia shifted before he could land a hit and when he pulled his arm back, Sophia went solid and made a stab at the man's ribs. She only managed a shallow cut. Hanging nearly upside down didn't offer much leverage. The driver howled anyways and swung wide with his fist, casting the particles of Sophia's shadow form on top of the gear stick where she solidified and cut again, this time marking his chest with a much deeper wound.

The driver jerked back, gasping and Sophia leaned in to stab at the man's neck, but her legs slipped beneath her and she fell headfirst into the driver's chest. Before she could switch forms, the man wrenched the knife out of Sophia's hand sending it tumbling beneath the car seat. And when Sophia shifted into her shadow form out of panic, the driver was ready. He slapped at her shadow, blowing her back into the passenger seat while reaching for his gun with his other hand. With no other choice, Sophia went solid again and threw herself at the man's arm, using all of her bodyweight to keep the gun pointed down.

The driver grunted in frustration and started punching across himself with his other arm and Sophia's head filled with stars, but she held on. He wasn't impressed by her persistence and kept punching, quickly finding a rhythm to it, his fist striking Sophia in the head again and again. Sophia's skull rattled with each blow, tears swelling in her eyes. Her head was going to crack open at this rate. Finally, the man landed one good hit on Sophia's jaw and she felt her body slip.

_Hebert lay there, panting._

The driver kicked her off and pulled his gun in one smooth motion.

Sophia stared down the gun barrel. "Shit."

The driver didn't hesitate as he turned the gun around, put it to his head and pulled the trigger.

There was a sizzle before he flopped against the car door, a smoking fist-sized hole in his head.

"Damn, Shady, you're a mess."

Sophia let out a breath and the pain came rushing back so suddenly she nearly barfed. Her head was spinning, aching and probably leaking. Just turning to look at Imp nearly gave her vertigo.

Imp opened the jeep door and caught Sophia, putting a hand to her face.

"Not my blood." Sophia groaned, "Not most of it."

"Cool line, but you're clearly fucked up." Imp looked her over, lingering on Sophia's splayed legs. "Can you walk?"

Sophia let her head fall back, tears leaving streaks through the blood on her face. "Not even a little."

"Well, shit."

"Yeah."

"We should just leave her." The girl with the straight blonde hair remarked flatly.

Imp sighed. "For the hundredth time, Harriet, we're not leaving her." Imp turned, taking Sophia's hand and looping it around her neck. "Hold on, okay?"

Sophia tried to nod but her head drooped instead, pressing against Imp's back. With surprising gentleness, Imp put an arm around each of her legs and lifted her up piggyback style. "Alright, rugrats, we're getting out of here."

Imp started marching into the woods and exhaustion finally overwhelmed Sophia.

* * *

_"You're beneath me, Hebert."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think anyone was expecting a second chapter after the way the first one ended, but I couldn't resist. 
> 
> Sophia's not exactly a popular character, so I don't expect this story to ever really take off, but there's definitely something worth exploring there.
> 
> Hopefully I'll have a third chapter within a week.


	3. Chapter 3

_"If I face the Birdcage… I hope I don’t. But at least I could tell myself that seeing the supervillain step up might convince others to come back. Change the minds of heroes who gave up on the PRT for one reason or another.”_

_The spindly girl swallowed, a crack of emotion. A ploy for sympathy._

_“This is what I want to do, above all else, Given the chance, I’ll serve the people. As I fought Leviathan, the Slaughterhouse Nine and other evils, I’ll fight to the last gasp to protect all of you. When-“_

_A series of howls rose in the air. Hundred of dogs calling for one of their own and again Hebert trembled._

_"When and if I do take up the job," She took a breath, staring resolutely at the camera, "You can call me Weaver."_

_Sophia wanted to scream._

_She was going to get away with it. Every last bit._

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia's legs were worse than useless, they were a fucking burden. Her legs wouldn't turn, raise, spread or bend, they just flopped, banging against whatever got in their way. They didn't even have the courtesy to shut off the pain, no Sophia had to _feel_ every bruise and scrape. In fact, pain was really all she _could_ feel in them.

That and her toes. With a great deal of concentration, she could make them curl ever so slightly.

It was like her body was _mocking_ her.

Still, she curled her toes.

It was all she had.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_She needed to escape._

_Sophia looked down at the cuffs on her hands. Current ran the length of the cuffs and the cuffs could be connected by a removeable chain. It was frustratingly simple._

_Sophia had hoped for some sort of opening when the batteries ran out or something, but the guards just slapped on another pair of cuffs on her before removing the old ones to be recharged. There wasn't a second that went by where she wasn't a moment's inattention from electrocuting herself to death._

_And of course, no one cared._

_They wanted her gone. Not dead, not exactly. But if Sophia's heart seized from an electrical shock, they certainly wouldn't mind. Her usefulness was spent, she was a liability now. So they put her away and left her to rot._

_Sophia took a deep breath and flexed her power._

_She flickered from human to shadow and back in an instant. The cuffs sat on her wrists, undisturbed._

_It had only lasted a split second, barely even noticeable. A small smile spread across Sophia's face. But with good timing and the perfect opportunity, it would be enough.  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Tada!"

Sophia clenched her teeth. " _What_ is that."

"What's it look like, a table?"

No, it was a wheelchair. A fucking wheelchair. Sophia's toes curled.

"I don't need it."

Imp stared at her for a long while.

"Suuuuure." Imp said, carting the wheelchair closer to Sophia's bed. "I'll just leave it here, then. Y'know, just to store it." She adjusted the chair, so that it'd be easier for Sophia to slide in from her bedside. "Yeah, that right there seems like a good spot. Not that I would mind if somebody decided to use it. Wouldn't want this old thing to rust away in storage, right?"

Sophia glared at Imp, her blood beginning to boil. The dancing about, the forced _niceness_ even as she mocked Sophia. She was so obviously holding back - as much as someone like Imp could - not wanting to be too hard on the… cripple.

Imp patted the seat of the chair, "Doesn't that look comfy?"

Sophia twisted suddenly, throwing her fist at the girl's chin even as her body tumbled out of the bed with the movement. She crashed to the floor, her head bouncing off the soft seat of the wheelchair. Fortunate, since she was still recovering from the concussion she got from her last fight.

Sophia blinked. Who was she fighting again?

She looked around the room and found no one. Eventually her gaze came back to the wheelchair tenuously holding her up. Where the _fuck_ did this come from? She raised her fist to slam it, but had to grip at the bed instead as her weight shifted unsteadily.

Well, wherever the chair had come from, no point in letting it go to waste.

"Fuck." Sophia mumbled, moving her hands to the chair's handles. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She groaned as she hauled herself up, before realizing she was facing the wrong way. Her hip was caught on the lip of the seat and her head was over the end of the chair. Could she turn herself around? She twisted her body and she could feel her arms beginning to ache with the strain.

Humiliation burned inside Sophia. It was a constant presence, but this was today's highlight.

Her ass was stuck. Caught on the underside of the seat. She had twisted as much as her body would allow, trying to set herself down on one side, but even _sitting down_ was too fucking hard for her. Ironic for a cripple.

Sophia let out a heavy breath as she tried to raise herself higher, but her arms were already trembling. She should've been stronger than this. It was an awkward pose and she had been bedridden for weeks, but Sophia knew those were only excuses.

Her arms were threatening to give out now and with the last of her strength, Sophia pushed off with one arm and twisted her body again. In that instant, she flickered through her shadow form, solidifying as she came upright and she dropped heavily into the chair. Sophia cursed as she nearly slid out, but she grabbed the armrests in time and pulled herself securely into the seat.

Sophia let out a sigh. Just climbing into a wheelchair had left her sweating. Hard to keep in shape when she couldn't go running.

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut, a splotch of tears threatening to form, but she slapped it off her face. She didn't want to think about running. Couldn't afford to think about how much she was losing. If she did, then she really might...

She took a deep breath before slamming a fist into her thigh, a dull tingle marking where the bruise would appear.

"Weak."

* * *

* * *

* * *

_  
The nightstick cracked against Sophia's arm and she recoiled, stumbling on the back of her heels._

_She clutched her arm, desperately trying to ignore the pain there. Broken, probably._

_The two guards growled, one of them pulling out a tazer. They'd only need one shot to take her down._

_But they'd probably get the whole battery's worth._

_Fuckers. Sophia leaned against the wall and spat. She had made them hurt at least. One was sporting a bloody ear, the other a pen through the palm of her hand._

_Nearly made it, Sophia whispered to herself, just another second and she would've smashed the cuffs to pieces and been free to disappear. If she had just finished off the guard when she had the chance…_

_Well, she probably wasn't going to be getting any second chances. Not after this stunt._

_Fuck it. Might as well get her money's worth. Sophia pushed off the wall and before either could react, she tackled the closest guard, biting and kicking as they went down together.  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

_  
"I'd say you look well, but," Emma smiled weakly, "You don't."_

_Sophia was still sporting a black eye, a split lip, stitches in her forehead and a cast on her arm. Those were the visible injuries._

_"You look like crap yourself." Sophia remarked._

_Emma gave a small laugh. There was no way she was still modeling. Not unless there was a surge in demand for Pale and Depressing._

_"Don't get out much anymore. Hard to sleep, too."_

_Sophia smirked, although she really had no reason to. "Let me guess. Mosquito at the ear?"_

_"Constantly." Emma looked down at the floor. "She's supposed to be in Chicago, but I hear it anyways. Buzzing. Fucking always buzzing."_

_Sophia rolled her eyes. "Stupid."_

_Emma glared, "You think she wouldn't?"_

_"If she wanted revenge, she wouldn't settle for just being annoying."_

_Emma shuddered, "She's killed before."_

_"I've killed before."_

_Emma wasn't listening, her eyes had taken a distant look as she spoke. "I've done a lot of research since then. Looked up the types of spiders and wasps and ants."_

_Sophia scowled. Emma was unraveling._

_"It'd be easy for her, y'know. Brown recluses are native to the United States. One bite while you're asleep, you'd be dead and they'd never have the evidence to really prove it was her. They'd think it. They'd know it, but… they wouldn't be able to touch her."_

_"They probably wouldn't care, either."_

_Emma looked up and Sophia smiled nastily, knowing she had the girl's full attention._

_"You're not worth anything, Emma. Even if a million fucking spiders crawled down your throat and poisoned your lungs, they still wouldn't give a shit. Taylor? She's a cape. One of the better ones. She's valuable. You? You're just some girl who used to know her."_

_Emma stood, shaking._

_"You're weak, Emma. And nobody cares for the weak."  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia didn't know why Imp bothered to visit, there were others to take care of her now. Volunteers of the small refugee camp Imp and the Heartbroken had taken as their new home. Or maybe volunteers was the wrong word, they were more like a batch of new toys for the Heartbroken. Designated nannies and nurses for the fussing superpowered children. Not that they seemed mistreated or abused, but Sophia could see the relief in their eyes when all they had to do was clean after her.

It irritated seeing them relax around her. As if she was any less of a threat than some brat who could get in their head. Sophia could do the same, only it would be with a knife. Not for the first time, Sophia missed her crossbow.

Her basic needs were fulfilled in the most pathetic fashion. She was fed, cleaned and maneuvered to the bathroom whenever she needed it. They offered meager words of encouragement and Sophia hated them for it. They took her sullen silence for depression and Sophia never corrected them.

Imp knew otherwise.

"Heya Shady." Imp pulled up a chair alongside the bed and sat backwards in it. "How ya been."

These visits were sporadic, once a day or once a week, but eventually Imp would stop by and ask how Sophia was and everytime, Sophia's answer would be the same.

"Fuck off."

Imp nodded, "My week's been pretty crazy, thanks for asking."

"Don't mention it."

"We've been hitting Teacher's settlements pretty hard. Managed to get some good intel on which settlements were his and which just happened to be well-organized. Surprisingly hard to tell the difference which probably has some sort of meaning to it." Imp shrugged, "We're destined to live in a feudal society or something?"

"The strong rule the weak." Sophia stated.

"Sure, whatever. Anyways he's been stepping up security, he can't defend every settlement all the time, but he's been putting up patrols, making more check-ups. Nearly caught us a few times."

"Or maybe he let you go so he could track you back here."

"Well, we're not dead yet."

Sophia pursed her lips. "Yet."

"Damn, Shady, since when were you such a fucking downer."

Sophia glared and Imp cringed.

"Right, dumb question."

They sat there in silence, Imp mentally slapping herself and Sophia repressing the millions of questions she wanted to ask. What was Teacher patrolling with? What capes were running his settlements? Where the hell were the Wardens? And so on and so forth. But she couldn't seem too eager. Couldn't let Imp on the fact that these visits were all Sophia had to look forward to.

The whole universe continued on even as Sophia lay there in bed useless. She had been pushed off to the sidelines, just like she had been in juvie. Locked away from the rest of the world, only this time it would be permanent. And this time, her body was the prison.

Sophia grit her teeth. She couldn't think about it. Despair hovered over her shoulder, waiting for its chance, but she wouldn't give it one. Couldn't.

"Hey." Imp laid her hand on Sophia's shoulder, "You okay?"

Fuck, she was crying again. Sophia shook Imp's hand off and wiped at the tears like she was swatting mosquitos.

Imp hovered near her, unsure whether to keep reaching out and disgust filled Sophia.

"Why do you even bother?" Sophia spat the words.

"What are you talking about?"

"Pretending like you care." Sophia grit her teeth, "Like I'm your friend or some bullshit."

Imp went quiet. She drew her hand away and sat back in her chair with a thoughtful silence, as if looking at Sophia for the first time.

Sophia suppressed a sob and wiped at the tears that just wouldn't stop coming. There was no way Imp had actually thought they had been anything more than acquaintances. They barely knew each other. They were - in the realest sense of the word - _strangers_.

So why did Sophia regret her words so much?

"Yeah, we're not friends are we?" Imp said plainly and Sophia swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Guess, that's what makes it so sad." Imp said, her voice quiet, "I've lost too many people to be okay with seeing you dead. Or locked away or catatonic or whatever." She shook her head, "I used to hate you. But now… you're one of the few people left. Someone that can remember me. _Really_ remember what I was like back before Golden Morning, back in Brockton Bay. For better or worse, we've got history together." Imp smiled, "Like I said, it's sad, but that shit's important to me. If something happens to me, I want to be remembered. Even if it is by a psycho bitch."

Sophia half-sobbed, half-laughed. "You idiot."

Imp looked up.

"I don't even know your name."

Imp chuckled before pulling off her mask and Sophia immediately wondered how anyone that pretty could worry about being forgotten. She had an easy smile and eyes that lit up as she laughed.

"Aisha Laborn. Don't forget it."


	4. Chapter 4

_  
"You knew her." The man leaned forward. "Before her trigger."_

_He was a large man with a shaved head and goatee. He looked like a wrestler. They probably sent him to intimidate her._

_"We're interested in what she was like. Her habits, her relationships - with her father or her friends. What was her personality?"_

_Finally Sophia allowed herself a smile. "If I tell you, what's in it for me?"_

_The PRT agent frowned.  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

"No offense, but that's a terrible idea."

Sophia wheeled herself alongside Aisha, keeping pace with the girl's brisk walk. "I'm going _insane_ here. I need to do _something_."

"Ok fine, roll yourself over to the tavern. They'll help with that."

Sophia clenched her teeth. "Not what I'm talking about."

One of the Heartbroken - the most annoying of them, Harriet - looked down on Sophia from her position on Aisha's shoulders. "Can't you see we're busy?"

"With what?" Sophia growled.

Aisha looked up, "Yeah, with what?"

Harriet made a big show of rolling her eyes, "You were supposed to make something up! I gave you the perfect excuse and you ruined it."

Aisha smiled, "Whoops."

Sophia threw her hands up, "This is exactly the bullshit I'm talking about!"

Aisha and Harriet both turned to look at her.

"You're totally fine with dragging a bunch of four year olds - "

"Eight."

" - into fucking warzones, but involving me is _too dangerous_?!"

Aisha made an awkward noise that sounded a lot like "Ehhhh."

"At least, we can run if we need to." Harriet answered instead.

"Little fucking brat!" Sophia screamed and started reaching for the child, but just before she got a grip on the little girl's leg, Sophia suddenly pulled back in her seat, brought a hand up and slapped herself in the face. The pain stunning her as much as the fact that she had just _slapped herself_.

"Aggression redirection." Aisha explained helpfully.

"Hey, don't tell her my powers! I wanted to see her beat herself up!"

"The kids can take care of themselves," Aisha went on, "They may be younger, but a lot of them have had powers longer than you or me."

Sophia rubbed at her cheek. It didn't really hurt, but the sting lingered.

"I know it sucks, but I _can't_ bring you on a mission. It'd be too dangerous. Not just for you, but..."

"The rest of us." Harriet finished when Imp hesitated.

Sophia clenched her fists as Imp looked at her guiltily. Sophia knew what word was going to come next.

"Sorry."

Sophia closed her eyes. Worse than useless. A liability. Pitiable.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_  
"We can restore most of your privileges. Almost all of the ones you've lost since your escape attempt."_

_Sophia sneered, "Not interested in a TV or more yard time. I want more. I want out."_

_The man shook his head. "I can't promise you that."_

_"If you want to know Hebert's weaknesses, how to get in her head, then that's what I'm asking for."_

_"Nobody said anything about weaknesses."_

_Sophia snorted. "Sure, you didn't. And I'm sure you're not scared of big bad parahuman Skitter infiltrating the Protectorate and convincing the capes that it's them who should be in charge, not the puny humans holding the chains."_

_The PRT agent quietly stared at her._

_Sophia smirked. "Yeah, I read the news. I still get the internet. Not much else to do around here."_

_The man's frown only deepened. "You've been reading too many conspiracy theories, Ms. Hess."_

_She shrugged. "Maybe."_

_The man silently examined Sophia, but she didn't falter. They were coming to her after all, they wouldn't be satisfied with just this._

_"You're asking for a lot, Ms. Hess." The PRT agent leaned forward on his elbows, "How can we know your information is worth it?"_

_Sophia grinned, she had his attention._

_"Because I'm the one who made her."  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia had made it through Golden Morning and infiltrating Cauldron and a hundred other life-or-death situations. Despite the odds, Sophia had survived. Part of that was because Sophia knew when to pick her battles.

This was not one of those times.

She had stowed away on the supply truck Imp and the Heartbroken were using to sneak into Teacher's settlements. Teacher maintained a constant stream of goods, drugs and weapons to his little warlords to keep them happy, so another truck coming in was just business as usual. And once Imp and her Heartbroken were close enough, they were unstoppable. Their one weakness of surveillance or tinker machines was negated by the simple fact that there just wasn't enough electricity to run anything that complex.

It was smart, it was effective and it was impressive. Not that Sophia would ever say as much.

The truck hit a bump and Sophia desperately held onto a crate to keep upright. She knew they didn't need her. They had said as much.

But if they did. If a moment came where they were cornered or Teacher ambushed them. Sophia could do… _something_. She'd know when the time came. She hoped.

Until then, Sophia would tail them. Watch them. Try not to get in their way. She wasn't so worried about her pride so much as she was at the thought that this really was a stupid idea, that she _would_ ruin everything.

Her hand went to the pack that she brought with her, reassuring herself that it was all there. It didn’t carry much, binoculars, first aid kit, some knives and a pistol with plenty of ammo to spare. Sophia took a deep breath, she was getting worked up over nothing.

It wouldn't be easy of course, she'd be crawling or launching herself the whole time. The wheelchair was useful (and humiliating), but in this case it would only serve to give her away. Wherever Imp was leading her little soldiers off to wasn't necessarily going to be handicap-accessible. No, it was better this way. She'd be moving and fighting under her own strength and power.

She breathed again and slowly let it out. The thrum of the engine and the rattling of the truck settled into a rhythm that she could focus on. She could do this. She could still fight.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_  
"We know you caused her trigger event, Ms. Hess._

_Sophia rolled her eyes, "You're missing the point. I'm not talking about the locker or the shoving or the taunting or any of the other minor shit. I'm talking about her mindset. How she thinks."_

_"You taught her how to think?" Disbelief was all over the man's face._

_Sophia closed her eyes and let the urge to punch him pass. When she opened them, her voice was even. "You know, she started running after her trigger event?"_

_"It was in her records, yes."_

_"She was copying me. The track star. The girl who pretty much owned her for the past year and a half. I put her down and even if she hated me, she wanted to be me."  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

A foot nudged at her. "Wake up, idiot."

Sophia bolted awake, one hand going for the knife at her side and the other pushing her away from the voice before she had even opened her eyes.

"No need to freak out." The voice said and Sophia finally made out who it was.

She recognized him, but she couldn't quite remember his name. Sophia knew he was one of the Heartbroken, but after a certain point they all just sorta blended together, pale skin, wavy tousled hair - usually blonde, and cold eyes.

The boy was one of the older ones, though. Thirteen or somewhere around there. Beside him were two of the younger ones, a ten year old girl with short black hair and the other was...

"You followed us. _Seriously?_ "

Harriet, her little face scrunched up in disgust. It would've been cute if the little girl didn't piss Sophia off so much.

"She didn't do a bad job of it, frankly." The boy stated.

Harriet rolled her eyes, "Saaaam, don't encourage her!" She looked down at Sophia, "She's like a dog. You've gotta be firm with her."

Sophia's grip on her knife tightened. “Where’s Imp?”

“Don’t remember.” Sam answered curtly. “Not here.”

The other girl stared impassively, not even blinking. "She's scared."

Harriet grinned, "She should be."

"Just try it," Sophia growled, "You little shit."

The brat's grin was straight out of a horror movie as she took a step forward.

"No murdering," Sam cut in, putting a hand on Harriet's shoulder. "Imp wouldn't like it."

"But she's _asking_ for it!" Harriet whined.

"Samuel's right. Imp would be very mad." The other girl stated matter of factly. "She might even hate you."

"Ugh. Fine." Harriet crossed her arms and glared at Sophia. "But what do we do with her?"

Sam spoke before Sophia could. “Nothing.”

“What?” Harriet and Sophia said in unison.

“She’s probably looking to get herself killed.” Sam explained, “So we let her.”

Sophia stared, the words weighing on her more than she would care to admit.

“Really? But what do we tell Imp? She knows you can see her.” Harriet pressed.

He shrugged, “I’ll just say her power messes with mine. It’s kind of true. And then it won’t be our fault if she runs off and dies. Imp won’t have anyone but Teacher to blame.” He looked at Sophia, “She’ll just be another reason to beat him and once we do, Imp can 'put her memory to rest' and we can all move on with our lives.”

Harriet thought the idea over before breaking out into a grin and jumping to hug her half-brother, “Sammy! You’re so smart!”

Sophia ground her teeth, wanting nothing more than to tear the children apart. They were so damn small, all it would take was one good swing and their heads would crack open. But Harriet had her powers, completely unfair as they were. Was it a passive ability or did she have to think about it? Could Sophia trick the powers somehow? She looked at Sam who was grudgingly hugging his half-sister back. He was a sensor of some kind, but he didn’t seem to be a mind-reader, he wouldn’t be able to react in time if Sophia turned her blade on him. Sophia’s eyes met the other girl’s, quieter than her siblings and unblinking. Black pitiless eyes like a doll’s, Sophia repressed a shudder. She had no idea what this one could do.

Sighing, Sophia lowered her knife. For now, they weren’t going to try and kill her. Maybe screw her over indirectly or something like that, but Sophia would worry about that when the time came. She couldn’t fight them at the moment, so she settled for glaring. “I’m not committing suicide, you idiots.”

The dark-haired girl broke out into a wide smile. “Sure, you’re not.”

* * *

* * *

* * *

_  
“You think she’s a bully, Ms. Hess?”_

_Sophia wanted to scream in the man’s face to really get across just how stupid he was. Instead she sighed. “She’s a survivor and a fighter and a bitch. She’ll take whatever shit you heap on her because for her it’s a matter of pride, but she doesn’t forget it either. She’ll nurse a grudge a mile-wide and when you least expect it, she’ll hit you where it hurts the most.”_

_“Like she did to you.”_

_Sophia held her tongue, but her eyes said it all._ Obviously. __

_“Hm.” The PRT agent rubbed his goatee with a soft scratching sound. “Interesting analysis, Ms. Hess.”_

_“Like I said, I understand her.”_

_“Right.” He nodded automatically, still digesting her words._

_Sophia waited patiently, but his fidgeting was starting to annoy her._

_Finally he put his hands down and looked up at her with a smile. “This has been an interesting meeting, Ms. Hess. Thank you for your time.” He started reaching for his briefcase._

_“What?” Sophia blinked, “What about our deal?”_

_“Deal?” The PRT agent paused and shook his head, “I don’t remember making any deals, Ms. Hess.”_

_“You son of a…”_

_"You're clearly biased," He spoke over her, "Any information you provide us would be self-serving at best, downright wrong at the worst."_

_"What the fuck do you know!"_

_The man shrugged, "I know you're not the only source of information we can get."_

_Sophia stood, her fists tight, but the guards were on her immediately. They grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the table._

_"Like I said, this has been an interesting meeting. Just seeing what kind of person could… pressure Ms. Hebert has been enlightening."_

_"Fuck you!" Sophia thrashed, but the guards were heavy and their grip was tight. "Fucker!"_

_“As thanks, I'll leave you with a word of advice," He gathered his briefcase and stood, "Stay away from the conspiracy theories. If you start developing symptoms of paranoia or delusion, we’d have to send you to a more secure facility.”_

_Sophia’s mouth closed._

_“Have a good day, Ms. Hess.”  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

They hadn't come to a settlement. Maybe it had been once, but if anything had lived here it had been wiped out and replaced by a single squat concrete building. A bunker.

Placed in between two wooded hills, the bunker stood on scorched ground. A dark stretch of dirt and soot that extended for half a mile like a wound in the earth. Two roads led to the bunker from the east and the west, avoiding the hills entirely.

Featureless, windowless, the bunker only had a large hangar door to distinguish the east side from the others. Surrounding it were an array of tents, jeeps, trucks and gun emplacements.

Oddly enough, just as many guns were pointed at the bunker as there were pointed out.

Sophia crawled a little higher up on the south hill and adjusted her binoculars.

Sixty or so of Teacher's students. Easy to make out with their white outfits. Not all of them were manning the weapons, in fact most were handling chores, cooking food, loading and unloading the trucks, setting up more defenses and "resting" - lying on cots like cadavers on a slab.

Whatever was in that bunker was important and too dangerous to move. Teacher was here to stay.

Sophia changed her view to Imp and the kids a little further down the hill from her and grimaced as Samuel briefly met her gaze a hundred yards away before looking back at the bunker. He undoubtedly had a better view of everything. Maybe he knew what was in the bunker.

No way to ask, though. And he probably wouldn't tell her, either. It didn't bother Sophia that the Heartbroken kids all seemed to hate her, but it was inconvenient.

Something stirred in the camp and Sophia shifted her gaze back towards it. Teacher's students were gathering together. Not all of them, but enough that you could see the flow of white as they marched through the camp. At the head of the party was a handsome dark-haired man, tanned and barely clothed, he looked very much like a male stripper.

Satyrical. Sophia had never seen his face before, but his sheer audacity - and sculpted body - was unmistakable. She remembered him from the Cauldron infiltration. A cloner _and_ shapeshifter. Incredibly annoying to fight. A natural charmer and a murderer.

He was good at what he did and Sophia had to respect that. Too bad he was working for Teacher.

Satyr had gathered a dozen of Teacher's students and led them to a clearing outside the perimeter of the camp. He barked a few orders and did some pointing and the mindless students moved to obey. They arranged themselves in two rows, evenly spaced and utterly still.

And then with absolute ease, Satyr leaned to one side and waited.

Sophia scanned the horizon of the road, the treeline and the next hill over, but there was nothing like the signature dust cloud of a convoy. Airborne? She raised her binoculars and watched the skies, but found no trails or dark shapes, just clouds and birds. Then where was -

There was a crack and pop as reality shifted, a seam split in the fabric of the world, white light flashing for a brief moment before the image shifted to an impeccably clean hallway. A hallway that opened up out of thin air and extended beyond this world.

Satyr barely flinched, his posture relaxed even as dimensions collided. Two men hopped out of the portal, their black kevlar and assault rifles a stark contrast to the uniform white of Teacher's students. Guns-for-hire who had seen their fair share.

Again Satyr wasn't impressed, he waited patiently as the two men scanned their surroundings before they motioned an "all-clear" signal behind them.

A woman stepped out and Sophia couldn't make out her face, only getting the profile of her body, but Satyr was smiling now. She wasn't thin, but lean in the way only exercise could produce and her hair was a messy brown. She wore a long sweater that clung to her and loose slacks, looking more like she was getting ready for bed than jumping dimensions. The soldiers positioned themselves at her side, their hands resting on their guns, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was the real threat. A parahuman. With her guard in tow, she approached Satyr and he strode to meet her halfway. She held out a hand and Satyr took it and kissed it. He was speaking with a coy smile and Sophia didn't need to know how to lip-read to know he was flirting.

The woman ignored it, merely shaking her head and in that instant, Sophia saw her face.

Sophia's breath stopped, her body locked and her toes curled tight. She stared dumbly, barely reacting as Satyr looped his arm with the woman's and began leading her off to the bunker.

The portal roared shut with a rush of air and Sophia breathed again.

Quietly, she set the binoculars down and turned on her back, smelling for the first time the dew on the grass. Her eyes drifted along with the clouds.

There was no mistaking it. It was _her_.

She didn't seem quite as tired and she wasn’t slouching anymore. She held herself stiffer, taller. Her hair had grown out and her wardrobe was covering her tattoos. But without a doubt, it was her.

Panacea.


	5. Chapter 5

Sophia's heart had been beating against her chest like a trapped beast, but finally it was beginning to settle down.

Panacea. Here? Working with Teacher? The last time Sophia had seen her, the healer had been desperately trying to keep up with the flow of wounded and dying during Golden Morning. She had been with her father, the Marquis and Bonesaw then.

Had she joined Teacher? Or was she just part of an alliance? Sophia wasn't sure which was worse.

Satyr led Panacea into the bunker and out of Sophia’s sight

Sophia looked back at the Heartbroken and saw them huddling together over what seemed to be a piece of paper. Reading... something. Sophia couldn't make out the words from this far.

She slapped the ground in frustration. She had no idea what was going on. What was in the bunker, what Panacea was doing or what message the Heartbroken were reading. Sophia was painfully in the dark. All she could get was a teaser while all the real action happened just out of her sight.

Sophia needed to get into that bunker.

The exact why wasn't important. She needed to be there. To see, to know. To be _relevant_. Sophia had enough of watching from the sidelines.

Sophia put away the binoculars and tightened the straps of her backpack before launching herself down the hill.

Sophia had gotten better moving like this and the trees made for a perfect environment for her. She soared through the air as a shadow and when she needed to, she would flicker solid, turning and twisting as air-resistance caught her body. She was quick with her hands now, they spread to catch the wind or slapped at a tree trunk in an instant to push her slightly to the side.

Her legs trailed behind her like heavy streamers and she did her best to ignore them. They were thinning out now. Hard-earned muscles atrophying from disuse.

Sophia pushed off a tree a little harder than she should've, bruising her palms, but she barely noticed the sting.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_Sophia sprang forward from her crouch. Her first steps were heavy, practically stomping to get up to speed, but at the tenth step she switched gears. Her feet were lighter now, faster rather than stronger. More important for them to get in front of her than to push her._

_Her arms were pumping at her sides. Tight, controlled practiced movements that gradually added to her momentum. Her feet were barely touching the ground now as she flew across the track._

_She leaned into the turn and pulled ahead of the other runners. One was gasping for breath and all of them were looking at her. Not that Sophia needed to look back to see, she simply knew._

_The difference stretched and when Sophia crossed the finish line, she was alone._

_Sophia was gasping for breath, her body drained, but victory couldn't wait._

_"She takes it! Sophia Hess takes first place for Winslow!"_

_She held her arms up and shouted for all the world to hear._

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia waited at the treeline, knife, handgun and several extra magazines strapped to her back by a bandage from the first aid kit. She wore a thin body suit and on top of that she had slathered herself head to toe in mud gathered from a nearby creek. Sophia suppressed a shiver, the mud was actually a lot colder than the movies had led her to believe, but that was exactly what she needed.

Teacher used a combination of motion and infrared sensors and Sophia was confident she could get past both. For motion, Sophia’s shadow form wouldn’t register much more than as a gust of wind and with the mud on her body, the infrared sensors would read her as just a nice cool breeze. If any of Teacher’s students actually _looked_ they would realize that the breeze was in fact, a dark cloud of murder. That was if they ever actually saw her. Nighttime had fallen and the camp hadn't fully set up their lights yet. Sophia's shadow form would blend perfectly with the darkness. She'd only have to avoid the shine of a flashlight or the few spotlights they did have working.

She reached for her binoculars, careful not to get mud over the lenses and checked the bunker’s perimeter.

Students were piling sandbags, setting up gun nests and even assembling what looked like anti-air guns. Only a few were actively on the lookout, perched on top of jeeps, but even if they did have night-vision, she doubted they'd see her. She hoped at least.

Sophia set the binoculars down and switched to the handgun. She didn't plan on using it, but better to be prepared.

Sophia would start slow, shifting into her shadow form and letting herself drift with the wind. It was slow going, the wind working against her almost as much as it helped her. She would drift ten paces closer, five paces back and then three to the side, but gradually she drew closer.

Eventually she got close enough, she could see the eyes of the lookout. A pupilless white.

The lookout shifted, his head turning towards Sophia.

Sophia forced herself to relax. She was wind. Just the wind.

He turned away, his expression empty.

Sophia quietly drifted underneath his jeep, solidifying just long enough for a hand to push herself more directly towards the bunker.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_  
Sophia wiped at her mouth and set her drink down with a bang. "Fuck Regent!"_

_"Yeah, fuck him!" Aisha responded, slamming her own mug._

_No one in the tavern paid the two's shouting and banging much attention. They were used to it by now._

_"Hypno mind control creep."_

_"Dumb pretty boy softy."_

_"I mean…" Sophia squeezed her eyes shut, slapping a hand to her forehead, "Does he not know the meaning of too fucking much?"_

_"Not at all!" Aisha jumped in, her voice unnecessarily loud, "He'd just chill out, acting all cool and aloof and then when you least expected it, BAM!" She smacked the table, "He'd do the most absolutely extreme unnecessary shit. Zero to a hundred in an instant."_

_Sophia took another drink, the taste somehow improving the more she drank. "Y'know," Sophia mumbled, leaning closer, "He was seriously fucked up in the head."_

_Aisha took a big gulp before nodding and grinning. "Yeah, he was, wasn't he."  
_

* * *

* * *

* * *

Sophia slipped through a crack in the door.

No alarms went off and no one was shouting and Sophia was almost surprised. She hadn’t really expected to get this far without killing anyone.

A student stomped past Sophia’s shadow, a large piece of machinery over his shoulder, and she felt herself blown back from the briskness of his stride. A crackle of a blowtorch roared amidst the clamor of dozens of students in the middle of constructing a large metal dome.

There was a skeleton of metal bars being assembled and welded together. It encased a doughy bubble of rubber and plastic and sticking out of the bubble was a tube of the same material, just large enough for a person to walk through and at the end of it, a flap for entering and exiting.

A quarantine. Sophia was curious, but she wasn’t stupid either.

She skirted along the edges where the lighting was poor. The bunker was too large for the quarantine bubble and what light there was focused on the it.

It was easy for Sophia to get to a far corner and raise herself up to the catwalk hanging over the construction. There wasn't as much foot traffic on the metal pathways, and the lights hung down from them, so naturally they were dark. She stayed in her shadow form consistently, only using her human form for split second adjustments. Whatever her power did to Thinker senses was working, no one had noticed her yet.

The students were all engrossed in their work and they weren't the only ones. Satyr had Panacea in front of some sort of supercomputer. The screen was huge, ten times the size of a normal one and the machine behind it was even larger than that.

Sophia glided along the catwalk until she was in earshot.

"-for about three weeks." Came Satyr's voice, confident and loose.

"And the people here before?" Panacea, a little stiffer.

"Gone. My guess is either vaporized or subsumed."

"Subsumed would be worse." Panacea stated flatly.

"If you say so." Satyr brought up an array of graphs and numbers on screen. "We still haven’t set up all the equipment, but preliminary scans haven’t picked up anything harmful. Nothing in the air, no radiation or strange energy readings."

"So if I die, it'll be a surprise."

Satyr turned to look at her, "More than surprised, I'd be sad."

Panacea gave a disbelieving huff.

Satyr smiled and went back to the computer. "None of the students who've looked at it or even touched it have been hurt or affected as far as we know. You can check them yourself if you'd like?"

"I would, but please tell me you've at least quarantined the ones who touched it."

"Of course, they're within a section of the containment zone. Only two of them. Although we couldn't account for everyone who saw it..."

"Should be fine. I haven't felt anything strange about the bacteria in the air or anything else."

Satyr had an easy smile and he used it liberally. "I've gotta say, that's good to hear."

Panacea didn't respond.

"Well, if you're ready to -"

A sizzle of electricity lit the bunker and somewhere a girl shouted in pain.

"What was that?" Panacea asked the question on everyone's mind.

Satyr didn't answer, his hand was at his ear and he listened intently.

"It seems," Satyr reported slowly, "We have some unexpected company."

Sophia's gut tightened.

"Do we have a problem?" Panacea asked.

He smiled reassuringly. "Not at all. They've already caught whoever it was."

On cue, three of Teacher's students came forth, each wearing a visor. Two lagged behind the other, carrying laser rifles more intricate than the weapons Teacher's students usually carried. The student in the lead was carrying... nothing. He was _miming_ a load on his shoulder, as if he was lugging a heavy sack.

"What do we have here?" Satyr asked.

"An intruder." The one at the front said, throwing his imaginary load down before grabbing at something, one of his partners stepped up and grabbed as well. They stood apart, their hands in the air firmly holding onto _something_? Nothing?

The last of the trio, a woman, went up to the computer and started typing something.

The screen flickered and a very ordinary-looking man appeared. Slightly overweight with a receding hairline, he looked like a very plain...

"Teacher, we've caught Imp." The student reported.

"And in such good condition. Well done, Samantha." Teacher leaned forward with a broad smile, "Please wake her up."

Samantha kicked at the space between her fellow students and Sophia finally saw what was there.

Aisha.

She groaned and tried to pull away, but the two students had her arms firmly in their grasp and the more she struggled, the more they twisted. Aisha gave up on standing and instead looked up at the screen. "Shit," was all she said.

"Hello Imp,” Teacher chuckled, “You've been a real nuisance."

Sophia stared utterly confused. Who was he talking about?

"But I've finally caught you."

The two students flinched for some reason, but maintained their pose.

"Your power won't help you." Teacher smiled like a proud parent, "I've done my research and figured out your weaknesses."

"Stalking me, Teacher?" A girl materialized between Teacher's students. "I'd be flattered if it wasn't so fucking creepy."

Imp. Aisha. Sophia let out a frustrated sigh.

"Good comeback." Teacher remarked before turning to look at Panacea. "I regret you got mixed up in this matter, Amy. My deepest apologies."

Panacea frowned. "Yeah. Sure."

"If you're still feeling up to it, Satyr will lead you to the subject."

Her frown grew deeper. "Sure."

Satyr waved for her and Panacea nodded, following him as he led her to the entrance of the quarantine zone.

It was the perfect time to single her out. If Sophia followed them into the tube, she'd be one parahuman away from getting her legs back. To being able to run again.

But she had to stay.

Sophia blinked, _why_ did she have to stay? Why did she have to watch Teacher lose his mind talking to thin air? Her head ached and she couldn't help but think she was forgetting something.

It was _important_ , she knew that much. But the harder she reached for the memory, the more her focus slipped.

She needed to go after Panacea. It was the only way to get her legs back.

"Now where were we?" Teacher rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Oh right," He snapped his fingers, smiling again. "Nearly forgot. I was saying your powers are no use. You're trapped in my bunker. In the middle of my army." He grinned, showing off his small, white teeth. "You are totally and utterly helpless."

Sophia couldn't decide if Teacher's sudden insanity was a good or bad thing. Two of his students seemed to be reacting to it badly, fidgeting.

"Would you please stop struggling," Teacher let out a sigh, his good humor fading. "I'd much rather keep you than kill you."

The two students standing before Teacher's monitor, grunted quietly, their muscular arms locked tight on nothing at all.

Sophia cursed, she didn't have time for this. Every moment she wasted was another moment where Panacea slipped away. If Sophia didn't catch up with the healer soon, she wouldn't ever.

Sophia didn't move.

"Samantha, would you please give Imp a good kick? In fact, keep kicking until I tell you to stop."

Samantha stepped up and began kicking at the air.

"Try not to get her jaw. Just break a few of her ribs. Ah, Samantha you are _bad_ at this." Teacher rolled his eyes, "Believe it or not, Imp, this would be a lot easier for everyone if you just stopped moving. Think of-"

Both men holding 'nothing' jerked violently as bullets struck them. Sophia turned her handgun on Samantha who was still obediently pulling her foot back and put a bullet in her forehead. She fell, her mouth hanging open in a mixture of shock and confusion.

Oddly, Sophia understood the feeling. She had no idea why she had started shooting and now she was going to die for it.

"Intruder on the catwalk!" A student shouted.

And like that the air filled with fire.

* * *

_  
The girl spoke her name and smiled, but Sophia couldn't remember either._

_"Don't forget it."  
_

* * *

Pain screamed in Sophia's body and a familiar sensation crept on her.

Death.

She soared through the air, materializing for a flash to change direction, hardened mud and blood shaking off in the process, but Teacher's students were _accurate_. For every laser she dodged, another punched a hole through her. What part of her body was being vaporized she couldn't tell, but she was losing mass and quickly.

"Protocol MS-14!" Teacher yelled through the screen. "Do not separate! Direct half your fire to Sector D-8, wide spread!"

The laserfire shifted and Sophia could feel the change in temperature as half the lasers aimed away from her. A pile of metal bars flared red as they were super-heated and scorched by the sudden onslaught of lasers. In response, a single laser separated from the rest, striking the screen with Teacher’s face on it and a second later, the massive supercomputer erupted in an explosion.

Fucking tinkers. Couldn't be satisfied with just a normal computer.

She was out of the way of the actual explosion, but the shockwave pushed Sophia off course and out of the way of a dozen lasers. Pieces of shrapnel passed through her harmlessly, but the students beneath her weren't so fortunate.

Sophia changed her mind and thanked tinkers for all the complicated bullshit they did.

Sophia reoriented herself from the blast, getting her bearings just in time to realize she was crashing into the quarantine bubble.

Her shadow form pooled against the rubber, the material too air-tight for her to just pass through, and she began to slip off.

She went solid to get a better grip and nearly fainted. Blood burst from a hundred holes in her body. She tried to grab at the fabric, but her right hand pressed uselessly against the rubber - it was nothing more than a bloody stump.

If it was only her hand that hurt, that would have been manageable, but the pain was _everywhere_. She didn't dare actually check the damage.

Sophia found a knife with her left hand (sore, but intact) and plunged it into the bubble, stopping her slide.

Dimly, she realized that the students were no longer shooting at her.

The knife sank deeper than she intended and Sophia fell into the quarantine zone.

* * *

_  
“I suppose this is the point where I’m supposed to beg? I give you some satisfaction, you get some…”_

_“Closure. No. I’m not going to make you do that.”_

_“Because I won’t.”_

_“I know.”  
_

* * *

It was soft and it smelled of lilacs.

Sophia did not move. If she moved, she would hurt and so she kept perfectly still.

If only she could lay here forever.

She could just stop running. Stop fighting. Stop pretending.

Just stop.

Sophia breathed instead.

The world came rushing at her, bombarding her from all sides and she moaned weakly. Pain. Jolting stabbing pain. Aching heavy pain. Spinning nauseating pain.

Sophia opened her mouth to cry out, but there was only blood.

It was still soft and it still smelled of lilacs, but now everything hurt. Sophia tried to force her mind away. To focus on how comfortable her bed was or how sweet the fragrance was.

She let herself sink deeper, a comfortable warmth beginning to wrap around her like a blanket.

And then a shock.

A cool feeling sprouted from the top of her head and ran down the length of her body, washing the pain off like a cold shower.

The warmth was gone and so was her soft bed, but at least the world didn't hurt so much.

Sophia opened her eyes.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

Panacea nodded.

* * *

_"You are so bad at gratitude."_

* * *

Sophia stood.

Weakly, but she _stood_. She expected to topple over at any moment and when she took her first step, she nearly did.

Sophia was crying again, but found she really didn't care.

"I restored as much muscle mass as I could, but you'll still be a little slow."

Sophia wiped at her tears and nodded absentmindedly.

"There's a _lot_ of foreign matter in you so everything might feel a little weird. Normally, I'd say you should take some time to get used to it..."

An explosion sounded off outside and the whole bunker shook.

"But I don't think we really have the time."

The bunker shook a second time and Sophia fell over, her sense of balance all wrong. "Please tell me you know what's going on outside." Sophia asked.

Amy smiled, "My dad's coming to pick me up."

"Ah." Sophia glanced at Satyr. Or what she assumed was Satyr. The shapeshifter was purple-faced and drained to the point where there wasn't much left besides skin and bones. "A double-cross."

"Just a matter of who crossed who first." Amy shrugged, but Sophia could see the tension in her shoulders. "Besides, Teacher was only about two steps away from getting us _all_ killed."

Sophia looked at the yellow egg sac, large, oblong, it looked like a fleshy oversized tomb. Or a bed. At the center of it was a dark shape, roughly the size of a person.

Amy saw where Sophia was looking. "It's no longer a problem." She stated matter-of-factly.

Gunfire and shouting filled the air now. There seemed to be a lot more bullets going off than lasers.

There was a loud rip sound as a knife cut into the rubber bubble and Sophia scrambled for her own knife.

"Miss Lavere," A curt voice called out, "Silver spoon. Are we clear?"

"Diamond eyes." Amy responded automatically, "We're clear."

The two bodyguards Amy had arrived with entered the quarantine zone, one sweeping the room carefully, the other pointing his gun at Sophia.

"She's fine. She's... an acquaintance."

The man raised an eyebrow, but lowered his weapon.

"Is our exit door ready?" Amy asked, drawing the man's attention.

"They're ready." The bodyguard responded and his partner drew up next to him, "Let's not keep them waiting any longer."

"Help her." Amy pointed to Sophia and grudgingly Sophia didn't protest. Her legs still didn't feel like her own. They weren't flopping uselessly, but moving the muscles took a conscious effort as if they needed convincing.

The bodyguard let Sophia lean on him and she managed to stay upright as she squeezed through the crack in the quarantine zone.

The sounds of battle echoed throughout the bunker, but it seemed the majority of the fighting was happening on the other side. No one was around to see the four figures stepping out of the bubble.

They quickly made their way to the concrete wall closest to them and with carefully camouflaged preset charges, burned a hole to outside.

Again, no one stood in their way, only a few corpses. They moved past the dead bodies and beyond the perimeter. At forty yards from the bunker, they stopped.

Amy raised her sleeve to her mouth, "Milky Way, please."

Light flashed, cracked and a door to another world slid into existence before them.

Amy turned to Sophia. "Coming with?"

The door opened to a beautiful wooden house out by the lake. With the portal door creating the frame, it really did look like a painting. If that's where Marquis' crew stayed, Sophia could understand the loyalty.

However, Sophia shook her head, "Thanks," she smiled and it felt real, "For everything. I owe you more than I can imagine and I'll make it up to you somehow, but right now I've got someone to meet."

Not the answer Amy was expecting and it showed. "Who?"

"A friend."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update: Chapter 6 and the Epilogue

"You can't be serious."

"Deadly. Serious."

Sophia leveled her eyes at Aisha. It was odd to be looking down at the girl after so long of looking up. The height advantage made scowling so much easier.

"Of all the things people worked to restore after the end of the world, _this_ is what we have to show for it. Probably the least important-"

"Hey!" Harriet piped up, a lot less threatening now that she was hip level. "Ice cream is the _most_ important!"

Sophia slowly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Oh come on, don't be that way," Aisha begged mockingly, "You know you've been wanting ice cream. Don't lie to yourself. Everyone likes ice cream, that's a straight up fact."

"Yes," Sophia sighed, her hand still on her face, "That's part of the problem. _Everyone_ wants ice cream." Sophia took a peek at the line of people and sighed. "Can't we just, y'know, cut the line?"

Someone in front of them shot a wary glance and Harriet hissed, baring her teeth like a cat while Samuel held her back.

" _No._ " Aisha stated with as much emphasis as she could put in the word, "Can you stop being such a bad influence on the kids. We're morally grey, not evil incarnate."

"Ugh." Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Besides, the Wardens patrol this dimension and area almost religiously. I actually wouldn't be surprised if they were in line, too."

This time when Sophia looked over the line, her eyes were hard. Sophia and Aisha weren't masked or anything, they didn't stand out much even with the kids and them covered in grime and dried blood. A lot of people were similarly disheveled and burdened.

It was probably the dirtiest line for ice cream in the world. And again, Sophia was reminded how ice cream had trumped the more basic needs like hygiene or running water.

Still, people were happy. Kids chased one another around, working off the excess excitement, while the adults chatted cheerfully and reminisced. And happiest of all were the ones who walked out of the small, packed ice cream shop, huge smiles plastered on their face even as they licked their sweet prizes.

The only flavor that seemed to be available was vanilla, but no one was complaining. Any flavor would've been better than more rations.

Sophia forced herself to relax. Parahuman or not, this was neutral territory. Nobody wanted to risk losing the ice cream, even if that meant waiting in line for a couple hours.

"We all need a good treat after what we've been through." Aisha patted the head of Harriet's half-sister, Anne-Marie, who was showing more emotion on her face than Sophia had ever seen. A very small smile. Aisha reached to pat Sophia as well, but her hand was batted away. She didn't miss a beat. "A celebration for stopping Teacher's evil plans, for you getting your legs back and for nobody getting hurt."

"A _lot_ of people got hurt." Sophia said dryly.

"Nobody _important_ got hurt." Aisha amended.

"Arguable."

"Nobody important to _me_ got hurt."

"I think I got a booboo." Harriet said.

"Like I said, nobody important to me - ow! I was joking!"

Harriet stuck her tongue out while Aisha rubbed her ankle.

"It wasn't funny," Harriet pouted, "I think I bruised my tush when all the explosions happened."

"Well, I _was_ going to offer kiss your booboo, but..."

"I think I'll feel better if you get me two ice cream cones."

There was nothing innocent about the way Harriet looked, no matter how hard she tried.

"Don't push your luck, kid. You know they only serve one per customer and no way you're having mine."

Harriet shifted her puppy-dog eyes to Samuel.

Samuel wasn't impressed. "Do you really think that's gonna work on me?"

Harriet didn't even bother with Anne-Marie, she turned one more time towards Sophia, but Sophia snorted loudly. "Not a chance in hell, brat."

"You didn't even want ice cream!"

"No, I just couldn't believe it," Sophia corrected her, "Now that I'm here waiting in line, I'm going to get my damn ice cream."

"Ugh," Harriet crossed her arms, "You all suck."

Aisha patted the girl on the head and although Harriet didn't stop pouting, she didn't pull away either. Aisha turned to Sophia and smiled, "Good way to end the day, right?"

Grudgingly, Sophia nodded. It was true, everybody _did_ like ice cream. "You end all your missions this way?"

"Only the important ones," Aisha paused and then added, "Or the meaningful ones."

"Yeah? Which category does this one fall into?"

"Both actually. Important _and_ meaningful."

Sophia rolled her eyes, "You gonna get all mushy on me?"

"Extremely," Aisha threw an arm around Sophia and leaned on her with exaggerated affection, rocking the two of them back and forth, "I forgot to say, but we're celebrating one more thing."

Sophia could've easily slipped away, but she didn't, "Oh yeah, what's that?"

"You're now _officially_ one of 'Imp's Heartbroken.'"

" _What?_ " Harriet cried out.

Sophia smirked, "Shouldn't it be 'Shadow Stalker and Imp's Heartbroken?'"

" _Ugh._ " Harriet again.

Aisha shook her head, "Doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

"How about 'Shadow Stalker and Company?'" Sophia held back a laugh as Harriet mimed puking.

Aisha rolled her eyes, "We're not changing the name."

"Well, I'm not Imp and I'm not a Heartbroken, so I'm not sure how Shadow Stalker fits in 'Imp's Heartbroken.'"

"The name's not important, you doofus," Aisha gave Sophia a squeeze, "All that matters is that you're one of us now."

"Yeah," Sophia smiled, "I guess I am."


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double Update: Chapter 6 and the Epilogue

Sylvia kept her head down and moved slowly, quietly transferring her notebook and pencil into her bookbag.

The teacher didn't seem to notice and none of the other students said anything. Sylvia had chosen her seat well, far off in the corner by the door out of the room. When class was dismissed she'd be five steps out the door and heading home before any of her classmates had even stood up.

Before Joan did.

Joan was at the front of the class, always first for the teacher to see when she had her hand up and on display for the rest of the class. Whenever Joan turned her head or pulled her hair back, her blond curls would bounce and swing and occasionally a boy would lose himself and bob his head along with it.

A movement caught Sylvia's attention, the boy sitting next to her was passing a note forward. The note leapfrogged desk by desk until finally it found Joan's.

As the teacher was writing their homework assignment on the board, Joan looked at the note. After a moment, she neatly refolded the note and put it away, before turning in her seat to look at Sylvia.

She smiled.

Sylvia glared, but it felt stupid glaring at someone smiling at you like they were your best friend in the dimension.

The boy sitting next to Sylvia gave a small wave and Joan waved back as if it was his attention she was going for. She turned back in her seat just as the teacher finished writing the assignment.

"I expect this done by Monday in _readable_ handwriting. If all I get is some scribbles, it's going straight in the trash." The teacher sweeped a serious gaze over the class and when no one protested, she made a dismissive flip with her hand, "Now get out of here."

Sylvia pulled back so fast she nearly knocked her chair over.

"Hey, wait up!" The boy. Joan's little spy.

He was moving for her, not even putting his things away, but Sylvia didn't hesitate for a second, her whole body had been primed to move for the last ten minutes and she peeled out of the room in one smooth motion.

The hallway was still mostly empty, kids only just leaving their classes. Sylvia was half-running, half-walking. She had to get out before it started getting crowded, but couldn't risk being stopped by one of the teachers for outright sprinting.

Sylvia turned a corner and stopped in her tracks.

A hand pushed against her collarbone and Sylvia stepped back not because it was forceful, but because if she didn't the hand would just _keep pushing_.

Alex. The volleyball team's ace player and colossal bitch was smirking. Easy to be smug when you stood a head over nearly everyone else, easier when you were pretty, too.

The hand pushed back until Sylvia found herself against the wall.

"Leaving so soon, Syl?"

Sylvia tried to slip out from Alex's hand, but the taller girl just pushed harder and Sylvia grunted as she was pinned against the hard wall.

"Answer my question, Syl."

Sylvia glared instead.

"You'll have to forgive her, Alex." Joan walked up, a cadre of girls at her sides, "She's a little slow." She giggled and the girls followed along.

"Hmmm," Alex looked up as if lost in thought, "I don't think I will forgive her. Not until she apologizes to me."

"A… _Apologize_?" Sylvia sputtered, her indignation overriding her stubbornness, "For _what_?"

Alex grinned, "You bumped into my hand. I was trying to _lean_ ," Alex pushed a little harder and Sylvia _squeaked_ , "On the wall here, but you just had to get in my way."

"How very inconsiderate of her!" Joan said, the gleam in her eye not matching her proper tone.

"She's always so selfish." One of the other girls chipped in and the rest scrambled to add their own opinions.

"Lost in her own little world."

"Doesn't help anyone, doesn't _talk_ to anyone."

"A total loser, no wonder no one wants to be her friend."

"Get your hands off her."

Every girl there whipped around to face the growling voice, a few cracks audible as their heads turned too quickly.

"I said _get your hands off her_."

The teacher stood just behind them, one hand firmly on Alex's shoulder.

Slowly, Alex drew her hand away from Sylvia's chest and Sylvia coughed as her lungs were suddenly free to expand.

Joan shot one of her girls an angry glance, but the girl shrugged helplessly as if to say, _I didn't see her at all._ Joan did not look forgiving, but when she turned to the teacher, she was all sweetness, "Alex was just helping Sylvia with a-"

"Shut up." The teacher's other hand clamped down on Joan's shoulder like a claw. "You're coming with me. We're gonna have a serious talk."

Sylvia stared in a daze. Was she dreaming?

"What, but... Ms. Hess, I don't think you understand!" Joan whined as Ms. Hess turned her and Alex around.

"That's right," The other girls were jumping in now, "Joan had nothing to do with it!"

Ms. Hess ignored Joan and glared at the rest of the girls, "Maybe I wasn't clear. You are _all_ coming with me. I only have two hands, but do _not_ make me chase you down. You will regret it."

A few girls opened their mouths to respond, but one look from Ms. Hess was enough to stop that.

After the girls were all sufficiently cowed, Ms. Hess looked back at Sylvia, "Could you please wait in my office, Sylvia? I'd like to talk once I'm done with _these_ girls."

Sylvia blinked a few times before nodding so hard it felt like her head was going to fall off.

A small sigh of relief escaped Ms. Hess' lips, "Thank you, Sylvia." And she smiled.

Sylvia had only been a high school student for a couple weeks, but one of the things that she had picked up was that Ms. Hess didn't smile _ever_. Seniors claimed the woman was made out of stone, her frown was practically carved into her.

Well, Sylvia would have to correct that statement. Ms. Hess smiled _very rarely_ which was a shame because Ms. Hess had a very nice smile.

Sylvia felt her cheeks heat up as if she had walked in on the teacher's little secret.

"Thanks, Ms. Hess."

* * *

* * *

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a little longer than I thought it would, but Sophia's story is finally complete.
> 
> I know there's some people interested in knowing how the fight against Teacher went or what exactly was in the cocoon or whatever else, but I was never interested in telling those stories. I'll say it was tempting, I came up with some cool ideas, but this was always going to be a very focused story.
> 
> I wanted to see if I could pull off a convincing redemption for a character that I don't even like and although I'm not a 100% happy with everything (nowhere near, in fact), I've written all the moments I wanted to and in general, I'm satisfied with having told a complete story with a complete character arc and everything.
> 
> Thank you for reading, it's what kept me going and I appreciate it.


End file.
